BREAKING NEWS: COA Releases 2009 Audit Report on the University of the Philippines System

By Chanda Shahani

The Commission on Audit (COA) has released yesterday its 2009 Consolidated Audited Annual Report (CAAR) of the U.P. System on its website (http://www.coa.gov.ph/Audit/AAR.htm). The 2009 CAAR shows signifcant problems with the way the U.P. Administration has failed to address many COA criticisms over the U.P. Administration's handling of taxpayer-owned cash, financial instruments and other assets in 2009.

But the problem goes back further in time. For an analysis of the U.P. System's previous performance from 2006 to 2008, please click on a Diliman Diary authored article here: http://tinyurl.com/24kkbtv. The U.P. System's troubling financial history should also be looked at within a broader context of systemic financial abuse by officials of several State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) as can be seen by our reportage on COA's 2009 CAARs on other Metro Manila-based SUCs. To read that report, please click here: http://tinyurl.com/399fekf

Here are the highlights of the COA 2009 CAAR of the U.P. System:

1. On the issue of conflicts of interest among ranking university officials and university-affiliated foundations:

COA's 2009 CAAR of the U.P. System said that: “The manner by which the UP System, through its formulated guidelines, addressed the existence of conflict of interest of its officials who are at the same time officers of the UP-affiliated foundations, as well as the absence of an independent oversight office to monitor the transactions entered into by these foundations, appears inadequate to substantially resolve the issue on transparency required in public governance."

"We therefore reiterate our previous recommendation that Management formalize an arrangement through a Memorandum of Agreement with these Foundations by defining the functions and responsibilities of both parties, including how to account and share for the income/revenues earned from its operation. Moreover, a policy or guidelines must be established to set the limits and boundaries with respect to the role or participation of the UP employees and officers to any of these Foundations. Financial transactions entered into by these Foundations for and in behalf of the University must be accounted and reported to the UP System management and be subjected to the COA review, verification and audit.”

“As there was no information given with regard to the officers of the UP Foundation, Inc., available data gathered disclosed that in its amended by-laws, the President of the UP System is the Chairman and President of the U.P. Foundations, Inc. In addition, the Chancellors of its four autonomous units and three members of the Board of Regents sit on the Board of Trustees. Likewise, per inquiry, its current executive director is a professor of the University” (emphasis supplied by Diliman Diary).

"It appears that the creation of these Foundations is tainted with legal infirmity as an apparent conflict of interest existed considering that some of its officers are at the same time officials of the University, thus, transactions and dealings entered into by these public officers channeled through the Foundations are within the ambit of the public’s right to be informed as mandated by the Constitution consistent with the policy on transparency in government affairs."

See the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/3ywj72l

2. On the basis of a complaint filed by the All U.P. Workers Union (AUPWU), the Commission on Audit (COA) has now cast doubts on the legality and validity of the 25-year lease contract entered into by and between the UP, through U.P. Manila- Philippine General Hospital (UPM-PGH), and the Mercado General Hospital, Inc. (MGHI), for the conversion and development of the PGH Dispensary historical three-storey concrete building into the Faculty Medical Arts Building (FMAB) in its recently released 2009 Consolidated Audited Annual Report (CAAR).

The FMAB is a priority project of the Administration of outgoing U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman. However, the 2009 CAAR refers extensively to “unresolved legal issues and inadequacy of auditorial documentary requirements on the 25- year lease contract of the Faculty Medical Arts Building (FMAB).”

COA said the unresolved legal issues and inadequacy of the auditorial documentary requirements cast doubts on the legality and validity of the 25-year lease contract entered into by and between the UP, through the UPM-PGH, and the Mercado General Hospital, Inc. (MGHI), for the conversion and development of the PGH Dispensary historical three-storey concrete building into the FMAB.

See the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/32c9khm

3. The University Hotel (formerly PCED Hostel) as a special project under the UP System Administration, continues to operate as a separate and distinct entity since 1983 and the results of its financial position and operations, which reflected a gross income of P30.46 million in 2009, remained undisclosed or unreported in the System’s books of accounts thus, affecting the fair presentation of the University System’s consolidated financial statements.

See the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/3yoa366

4. The UP Diliman manner of recording income realized but not yet collected from its auxiliary and income generating activities did not conform with the usual accrual method of accounting, which is a norm. Instead, what U.P. does is to recognize income by recording it as Other Deferred Credits account instead of an appropriate Income account thus, overstating and understating respectively these aforementioned accounts by at least P17.59 million as of December 31, 2009.

This can lead to possible corruption known as “kiting”, because by understating actual income for a given year, then the understated income can be spent without the auditors looking for this money in bank balances or through receipts and vouchers, etcetera.

COA is recommending that the U.P. Diliman Administration require the Accounting Office to prepare a Journal Entry Voucher to adjust the identified erroneous credit made to Other Deferred Credits account, and to henceforth comply strictly with the prescribed government accounting system.

5. The 2009 Consolidated Audited Annual Report (CAAR) of COA also pointed out that the balances of Cash in Bank Local Currency-Current Accounts and Savings Accounts (LCCA & LCSA) of P152.48 million of U.P. Manila and Visayas and Foreign Currency Account of $187,674.61 of U.P. Manila were misstated due to unreconciled differences between the books and bank balances amounting to P131.90 million and $104,809.07 respectively, due to the failure of the Accounting Division to prepare and update the bank reconciliation statements (BRS).

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/contnuation-of-balances-of-cash-in-bank.html

6. The six UP units/campuses failed to allocate at least 5% of their CY 2009 approved budget for the Gender and Development Program, as required by law, resulting in inadequate promotion of gender-responsive governance to address gender issues and concerns of their constituents/sectors as required under Section 29 of the General Provisions of RA 9524 and Joint Circular No. 2004- 1.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/6.html

7. COA's 2009 CAAR repeatedly scores the outgoing U.P. administration for “lapses in internal control on the granting/liquidation of cash advances were observed in all of the UP campuses of which a total of P21.77 million unliquidated cash advances have been long outstanding for two years or more contrary to COA Circular No.97-002 dated February 10, 1997.”

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/7.html

8. The Cash in bank balances of the UP Diliman and Manila were understated by P15.66 million due to the non-restoration of the cash equivalent of unreleased checks amounting to P14.43 million required under GAFMIS Circular Letter No.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/8.html

9. The UP Visayas-Iloilo, Tacloban, Baguio and Open University incurred expenses totaling P10.96 million, which either lacks the appropriate legal basis or in excess of allotments, contrary to Section 28, Volume I, NGAS Manual, thus overstating the expense account of the same amount.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/9.html

10. Other Payables account of UP-Manila, Los Baños and Cebu campuses totalling P2.81 billion was overstated by P686.50 million due to error in recording income collections, misclassification of accounts, inadequate documentation and absence of a Subsidiary Ledger, rendering the account balance unreliable.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/10.html

11. Procedural lapses in the recording and control of inventories such as non-observance of Perpetual Inventory method and non reconciliation of the accounting and property records in the UP Los Baños, Open University and Mindanao cast doubts on the validity of the P46.70 million inventories and related expense accounts.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/11.html

12. The implementation of the UP Diliman ERDT program disclosed 127 unfilled scholarship slots, 20 incidents of voluntary and involuntary termination of scholarship grants and idle funds of P151.65 million which, if not closely monitored, may result to the non-attainment of the program’s objective to address the problem on lack of highly trained research scientists and engineers.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/12.html

13. The 102 UPV in-house Research Projects worth P16.56 million were not completed before the expiration of the contracts due to the absence of, or laxity of the management to impose sanctions against the erring proponents thus, defeating the purposes of the researches and compromising the UP’s objective of strengthening its position as the leading research and development university in the country. Moreover, publications of the outputs in the abstract publication and in the UPV Journals were not fully attained as only ten out of the 80 Research Projects that started in January 2002 costing P11.26 million were completed in CY 2009 thus, depriving the beneficiaries of the benefits that could be provided by these research projects.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/13.html

14. The PPE accounts of the nine UP offices/campuses totalling P6.96 billion is of doubtful validity with a negative variance of least P506.09 million existing between the books and the Physical Inventory Reports, which was attributed to unrecorded reconciling items, incomplete or lack of inventory reports, and the absence of regular reconciliation of property and accounting reports/records.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/13.html

15. Recognition of payables was not based on actual claims for goods delivered or service rendered, as P68.43 million listed as payables in three UP offices/campuses were not found to be valid claims supported by sufficient evidence, contrary to Section 46 Par. 2 of PD 1177, and likewise overstating the expense and liability accounts at year-end by the same amount.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/15.html

16. The Electricity Expenses account of P6.32 of the UP System appeared is understated by P3.10 million as only P1.52 million was certified to accounts payable from the unpaid charges of P4.62 million due to inadequate monitoring and control of MERALCO bills of which processing and payment were allocated by office.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/16.html

17. The Items in Transit account balance of P550.50 million of the UP Diliman and Los Baños cannot be relied upon as it includes long outstanding and undocumented charges amounting to P242.48 million.

See the rest here: http://diliman-diary-sidebars.blogspot.com/2010/11/17.html

(Editor's note: The remainder of this dispatch is still under construction and will be updated shortly. We apologize to our readers for the inconvenience. For readers who wish to read the report directly, we encourage them to refer directly to the 2009 COA report at: http://www.coa.gov.ph/Audit/AAR.htm.)

COA updates the Diliman Diary's readers about its 2009 audits of interlocking directorates between the U.P. System and U.P. Foundations

By Chanda Shahani

The Commission on Audit's (COA) Supervising Auditor of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) System, Ms. Sofia C. Gemora, has written the readers of the Diliman Diary, through this writer, of the progress being made on our letter request dated February 1, 2010 asking that the U.P. System's financial transactions between the University of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (UPFI) and the U.P. Business Research Foundation be subjected to audit for the Consolidated Audited Annual Report (CAAR) of COA for 2009.

Our various letter requests to COA, were substantially more detailed than the June 20, 2010 article in the Diliman Diary (“Interlocking Directorates between the University of the Philippines and U.P.-based foundations present a compelling case of for intensifying and further scrutinizing financial audits of these foundations, says COA. The Diliman Diary digs further into the details and shows why.” http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/06/interlocking-directorates-between_20.html)
but both the letter requests and the article essentially made the same point that the lack of an actual audit by COA of the financial transactions between the U.P. System and UPFI and UPBRF by and of itself constitutes an anomaly of the process by any reasonable standard of accepted financial accounting and control measures.

Here is the text of the letter reproduced below for easy reference, with the scanned copies also embedded above and below:


June 30, 2010

Mr. Chanda R. Shahani
22 Solar Street
Bel-Air 3
Makati City

Dear Mr. Shahani:

This pertains to your letter request dated February 1, 2010 quoted below:

1.“My December 10, 2010 (sic) request of the status report to COA from U.P. of the action taken by U.P. on the recommendation which COA requested U.P. to submit no laterthan 60 days from receipt of COA's transmittal letter and report last September 23, 2009”, and

2.“My request to include both the U.P. Foundation and the U.P. Business Research Foundation in COA's 2009 CAARs, and the future CAARs because the same set of high-ranking university officials in each instance are also key officers of both foundations and thus to eliminate conflict of interest, the funds being handled by these foundations should be audited by COA.”

Concerning your first request, attention is invited to Rules 2 and 3 of COA Memorandum No. 87-22E dated August 24, 1987 read:

“2. The auditor concerned shall ascertain that the giving of information and access to records and documents, including the furnishing of copies thereof, would not affect any on-going audit or investigation, and is not in violation of Article 229 and 230 of the Revised Penal Code on revelation of secrets, the laws on trade and commercial secretas, secrecy of bank deposits, anti-graft and corrupt practices, the confidentiality of records in administrative cases and other similar laws:

3.If the information, or record or document is covered by or under audit or investigation, no information may be given, or copy thereof reproduced until a copy of the corresponding audit report (annual audit report, cash examination report, certificate of settlement and balances and the like) has been officially transmitted to and received by the head of the audited agency concerned.”

Moreover, limitations on giving of information andf access to official records, including the furnishing of copies thereof provided by COA 87-22E is further buttress by the provisions of COA Resolution No. 97-006 dated January 28, 1997, read:

“NOW THEREFORE, upon motion of Commissioner Sofronio B. Ursal duly seconded by Commissioner Rogelio B. Espiritu, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT DOES HEREBY RESOLVE that:

1.No COA audit report of whatever nature shall be released to any person until a copy of said audit report has been officially transmitted to and received by the head of the government agency being audited. The purpose hereof is to give the officials adversely affected in the report with sufficient opportunity to explain their side, and also to ensure that no fact or data material to the audit finding is ommitted in the report;

2.After receipt of the audit report by the head of the audited agency, copies of the reportmay be made available to any party, for any lawful purpose, upon payment of the cost of duplication thereof if desired and such other incidental expenses relative thereto, upon previous written permission from the COA Director concerned. However, where the production of copies of the audit report is directed by the Courts, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the Office fo the Ombudsman, or any of the latter's Deputies, through a subpoena duces tecum or any other compulsory process, the auditor concerned shall forwith comply herewith without the necessity of prior clearance or authority from his superiors;”

Further, penultimate portion of COA Resolution No. 2008-010 dated October 10, 2008 provides that:

NOW THEREFORE, it is resolved that all request for certified copy of information, documents, data and other official records originating from any Office, Cluster, Division, Section or Unit of the central Office, or request from the media shall be referred/forwarded to the Office of the Chairman for approval or prior clearance, until a new policy is duly issued on the above-captioned subject.

As to your 2nd request, rest assured that this Office is mindful of your issue and we appreciate the data given.

We are still in the process of finalizing our audit report on the U.P. Operations for CY 2009 hence, referral for clearance to the office of the Chairman, this Commission, for issuance of a copy to any interested taxpayer can only be undertaken after the same has been officially transmitted to the UP management (underscoring supplied by the Diliman Diary).

Finally, please be informed that in several occasions after receipt of your letter, the action taken of this office was made known to your office through your secretary (Ms. Cynthia) who was in constant communication with our office.

Best regards.

Very truly yours,


Sofia C. Gemora
Supervising Auditor

In its June 20, 2010 article, the Diliman Diary noted that the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs of the U.P. System essentially declined to comment on the previous article before it was uploaded, despite being given ample time to do so. In fact, the only exceptions to the general rule of U.P.'s lack of transparency have been the release of documents relative to U.P. Diliman's National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and the School of Labor and Industrial Relations; projects with private foundations which enjoyed multilateral agency funding but which required the release of the financial documents to COA (Please see Diliman Diary, December 12, 2009 at this link: http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2009/12/2008-coa-report-opens-maze-of-questions.html). Otherwise, COA has been left in the dark about the activities of other foundations operating with impunity within the U.P. System.

The Diliman Diary will respond in due time to this letter on behalf its readers and fellow taxpayers as well as undertake actions consistent with values of citizen journalists.

We shall keep our readers updated on this worthwhile and timely topic.

(Chanda Shahani is the Editor of the Diliman Diary. He has a master's degree in entrepreneurship (M.E.) from the Asian Institute of Management).

The Roving Gourmand: Gerardo's: Belly busting meals that won't break the bank

By Chanda Shahani

This is a tale of two 24-hour restos: the newer Gerardo's branch in Timog Avenue, Quezon City and the older Gerardo's in Panay Avenue, Quezon City, both of which are run by its proprietor, Mr. Carlos Agulto. The former is situated in front of GMA-7 while the latter is in front of ABS-CBN. While both are aesthetically miles apart, both have dishes that are certainly pleasing to the palate.

The atmosphere in Gerardo's Café and Bistro in Timog Avenue is very pleasing and elegant. Launched last January 31, 2010, it attracts broadcast journalists, actors and staff from GMA-7 and nearby establishments. The lighting is diffused and the large plate glass windows give an unobstructed view of GMA-7. The little touches that matter are all there: late edition magazines to read; a waiting area with upholstered chairs; small compact coffee tables with filligree designs and a large display of cakes make this café-cum-bistro worth taking a second look at.

The staff was warm and helpful and put up with my rather detailed questions about the menu. I finally settled on the grilled pork ribs with rice and a side dish serving of vegetables (PhP 175.00). To round it off, I also ordered an iced cappuciono (PhP 85.00).

The iced cappucino did not disappoint. It was sweetish, very cold and frothy which perfectly balanced out the full-bodied coffee bean aftertaste. This was the perfect drink to have on a hot summer's day. As I waited for the main course, other customers began to drift in during the lunch hour and soon the small café was quickly filled up.

The grilled pork ribs proved to be a visual feast. The ribs were cut lengthwise and splayed out in a fan-like formation. The ribs were tender and meaty with the distinctive aroma of well-done pork. The sauce was smoked barbecue-style, and added to the interplay of meat, slivers of pork fat and rice to provide that filling experience.  The portion sizes were pretty hefty and the mixed vegetables, made up of stir-fried peas, carrots, corn and sayote made up for a well-rounded visual, olfactory and savoury feast.

On the other hand, Gerardo's Bar and Restaurant, located on Panay Avenue, proved to be something of an aesthetic disappointment in the cold light of day. The older of the two establishments, it is also owned and operated by Carlos Agulto, the son of University of the Philippines MBA Professor and U.P. Foundation Executive Director Gerardo Agulto. Perhaps business genes run in the blood of the Agultos. For Gerardo's Panay Avenue proved to be no less successful than Gerardo's Timog; and considering that I dropped by for a quick lunch on Black Saturday when the majority of eating establishments in Metro Manila were closed, it proved to be quite a revelation to find out that the place was packed to the rafters with customers.The customers - mostly employees of ABS-CBN and nearby call centers - who work 24/7 - seemed to be be having a great time. In fact, Gerardo's does an admirable job of keeping up with its customer base who clock out of their work at 6 a.m. and demand a full "dinner," or just a round of beer during the early morning call center worker's "Happy Hour."

I was somewhat surprised, however, by the comparatively unfriendly waiters who wouldn't let me take a picture of a small statuette of the U.P. Oblation bearing Professor Agulto's name (the official explanation was that the place was being franchised and I needed the clearance of higher ups). Casting an eye around my surroundings, I ordered a sizzling chili squid with rice (PhP 150.00) but upon seeing the dusty chairs, the worn tables and the whole beer-house style ambience of the joint (it was only lunch time), I suddenly felt the need for a mild anaesthetic and ordered a Cerveza Negra to go with it.

Surprisingly enough, though, the sizzling chili squid was excellent. The squid was soft and tender without being rubbery, with the rice acting as a perfect accompaniment. The spices had permeated the flesh of the meat  and oozed flavour with every forkful. The aroma of sizzling squid marinated in spicy sweet and sour sauce was enough to set all my senses tingling. The Cerveza Negra soothed away the heat generated by the spicy squid and refreshed, even as it anaesthetized me to my surroundings. At the end of the meal I felt that warm buzz that you usually have when the beer goes to your head and the quasi-satisfaction in consuming a memorable meal in totally forgettable surroundings.

Here is a sampling of the menu in Gerardo's Panay Avenue:

Appetizers - Hungarian sausage (PhP 140.00), baked tahong (PhP 95.00) and garlic mushrooms (PhP 90.00)

Salads - Tossed green salad (PhP 100.00), green mango salad (PhP 80.00)

Sizzlers - Beef salpicado (PhP 180.00), mixed seafood (PhP 200.00)

Favorites - Lechon kawali (PhP 175.00), steamed tilapia (PhP 130.00), chicharon bulaklak (PhP 100.00)

Address:

Gerardo's Café and Bistro
In front of GMA-7
Timog Avenue (Near EDSA)
Quezon City
Telephone: 386-9005

Gerardo's Bar and Restaurant
In front of ABS-CBN
Panay Avenue, Quezon City
Telephone: 386-9005

U.P. President Roman appoints Philippine General Hospital OIC Director amidst BOR voting controversy

By Chanda Shahani

The President of the University of the Philippines, Emerlinda Roman, is facing pressure from several quarters to rescind a January 5, 2010 memorandum she issued effectively reversing a Board of Regents (BOR) decision approving the appointment of Dr. Jose C. Gonzales who was elected the new Director of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) over the incumbent director, Dr. Carmelo Alifiler, who was going for a third term.

According to Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo, Gonzales received 6 votes while Dr. Alfiler, who has already served two terms, received 5 votes. The BOR met during its regular meeting on December 18, 2009 at Quezon Hall, U.P. Diliman.

Sources informed the Diliman Diary that one of the key issues considered was whether to extend the term of Dr. Alfiler, as University policy limits the appointment of directors, deans and chancellors to a maximum of two consecutive 3-year terms, except in highly exceptional cases. But the majority of regents, numbering 6, did not think there was a basis for considering an exception for the incumbent and Dr. Gonzales got the majority of the vote.

Regent Abraham Sarmiento, a former Supreme Court justice, who did not vote for Dr. Gonzales voiced a protest and questioned the election because the Student Regent, Ms. Charisse B. Bañez who voted for Dr. Gonzales was not enrolled at the time, putting into question her status as a regent as well as her right to vote. Bañez admitted she was not enrolled at the time of voting, on December 18 and registration ended mid November.

Sarmiento, who protested Bañez' vote for Dr. Gonzales at the tail-end of the December 18 meeting nevertheless participated and voted in the entire proceedings of the BOR, according to reliable sources. It has not been confirmed by the Diliman Diary if Sarmiento has also questioned Bañez's eligibility to vote on the other issues deliberated upon by the BOR on December 18, or is only challenging her right to vote in favour of Dr. Gonzales.

In a January 10, 2010 email to Mina Datoc, a member of the Board of Governors of The University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society of America, Roman sided with Regent Sarmiento's stand that Bañez ceases to be a regent if she fails to enroll. The next possible period for enrollment for Bañez, a U.P. Los Baños student, will be during summer enrollment. Additionally, Roman claimed in her email that U.P. BOR Chairman Emmanuel Y. Angeles (who voted for Gonzales) asked her to withold the appointment of Dr. Gonzales as U.P. PGH Director. Roman issued Memorandum No. PERR-2010-001, dated January 5, 2010, appointing Chancellor Ramon L. Arcadio as Officer-in-Charge of PGH.

In her email to Datoc, Roman said  that, "I was ready to issue the appointment of JoeGon (Dr. Gonzales) on January 4, the first working day of the year. The Chairman of the Board (who incidentally voted for him) asked that I withhold the issuance of the appointment and also asked that Mon Arcadio (Dr. Mon Arcadio, Chancellor of U.P. Manila) be designated as OIC. This I did. But a day later after the Chairman and I talked, together with Mon and Dean Bert Roxas (Dr. Alberto B. Roxas, Dean of the U.P. College of Medicine), we decided to issue his appointment. We also agreed that JoeGon be formally informed about the protest. JoeGon knew about the protest even as early as after the December Board meeting. Mon informed him about the protest. The Board will discuss this matter during our January meeting."

"The protest from the complaining regent has been received and this will be taken up. The issue is not about one's qualifications. It is about a regent and her status."

Here is what happened next, according to Faculty Regent Judy Taguiwalo, who wrote in the blog of the All U.P. Workers Union (http://aupwu.blogspot.com/) that all of this happened despite the fact that on January 4, the University Secretary, Dr. Lourdes Abadingo, issued the announcement of new BOR appointments which included Dr. Gonzales' designation as PGH Director. Taguiwalo wrote that UP Manila Chancellor Ramon Arcadio then informed Dr. Gonzales and the appointed Dean of the College of Dentistry, Dr. Vicente O. Medina III, that they wouldl be sworn into office on the afternoon of January 4:

• Another text message from the Chancellor soon followed informing Dr. Gonzales that "President Roman is calling for an urgent meet tomoro, Jan 4. Ur oath taking is postponsed for Tue, Jan. 5 at 2 pm."
  
• Around noontime on January 5, President Roman issued a memo, her first memo for 2010 with the subject "Appointment of Officer-in Charge of the Philippine General" supposedly on the basis of a letter of protest from Regent Sarmiento.

An official statement signed by three of the regents, Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo, Staff Regent Clodualdo “Buboy” Cabrera and Student Regent Charisse Bernadine Bañez stated that although one regent “has expressed his intention to protest the election of Dr. Gonzales. The presence of such protest, however, cannot overturn the decision already made by the BOR. By refusing to implement a duly approved decision of the BOR, President Roman has prejudged by herself alone an issue that should also be decided by the BOR as a body at its regular meeting. She has no legal or practical justification to withhold implementation of a BOR decision as the term of the previous PGH Director has already expired.”

“We regard President Roman’s January 5 memorandum refusing to implement a BOR decision to appoint Dr. Gonzales as PGH Director as a very dangerous precedent. Here is one individual member of the Board, by the mere issuance of a memorandum, exercising a power that effectively frustrates the implementation of a duly authorized decision by the BOR.”

“We should not allow such autocratic actions to be exercised without resistance. We call for the immediate withdrawal of said memorandum and for the recognition of Dr. Jose C. Gonzales as the duly elected PGH Director starting January 1, 2010.”

Roman's memo is unfortunate, because “it is to everyone's interest that PGH is run independently of political interests,” said William H.E. Romero, M.D. in an email to the Diliman Diary. Romero, a U.P. graduate (B.S. Zoology 1977, Medicine 1981) who practices medicine in the United States, authored an online petition, The INSTALL DR. JOSE GONZALES NOW! Petition to ALL FILIPINOS (http://www.petitiononline.com/JOEGON72/petition.html) that was formed by U.P. College of Medicine Alumni and PGH personnel, asked Roman “to protect the welfare of its underpaid and overworked personnel and strengthen the education of our future doctors, by immediately implementing the decision of the Board of Regents to appoint Dr. Jose C. Gonzales as the new PGH Director and rescind the above mentioned memorandum.”

The petition says that given the fact that Regent Sarmiento protested the eligibility of Student Regent Bañez to vote after voting had already taken place on December 18 and at the very end of the meeting; and that Bañez's eligibility to vote had already been discussed prior to voting, but that she was allowed to vote anyway; that Sarmiento's protest, formalized through an official letter dated December 23, 2009 was scheduled to be taken up in the next BOR meeting scheduled on January 29 in Los Baños; Roman's memo “unilaterally decided the outcome of the protest of a single Regent, before this protest could be acted upon by the full Board”

“The question is why is Dr. Gonzales being removed even before the protest of Regent Sarmiento is discussed in the next BOR meeting?” Romero asked the Diliman Diary.

The petition also points out that before the vote, the eligibility of the Student Regent, Ms. Charisse B. Bañez, to vote on Dr. Gonzales' appointment was deliberated by the Board in her absence and the decision was to allow her to vote. “This very issue is being protested by Regent Abraham Sarmiento, after the fact,” said the petition.

Roman's decision comes at the heels of another controversial decision involving Roman at U.P. Diliman where U.P. Diliman Sociology Professor Sarah Raymundo appealed to Roman to overturn a decision by U.P. Diliman Chancelor Sergio Cao denying her tenure due to a minority protest vote (Please see Diliman Diary, December 10, 2009) despite the fact that the majority of faculty in her department had voted to grant her tenure.

Raymundo's appeal for tenure was denied by Roman in a copy of a resolution of Roman she received last January 4, 2010, according to Raymundo, writing in an update she posted on an online website, Tenure for Prof. Sarah Raymundo (http://tenureforsarahraymundo.blogspot.com/).

On January 15, 2010 Raymundo submitted an appeal to the BOR, asking them to overturn Roman's decision. There has been no decision yet by the BOR.

(Coming soon in the Diliman Diary: More questions regarding the University of the Philippines Foundation and the U.P. Business Research Foundation)

Pinoy Movie Review: "ANG PANDAY"

(Source: http://www.youtube.com)

Ni Vida Llevares

Kilala sa kanyang makapangyarihang espada at lupon ng mga kaaway, isang naiibang Flavio ang naghihintay sa mga manunuod sa pelikulang Ang Panday, hatid ng GMA Films at Imus Productions bilang handog sa ika-35 Metro Manila Film Festival. Tampok si Bong Revilla, Jr. bilang si Flavio at si Philip Salvador bilang ang mortal na kaaway na si Lizardo, tiyak na ito ay isang pelikulang Pilipinong maipagmamalaki sa buong mundo. Ang klasikong komiks na ito ni Carlo J. Caparas ay binigyan ng bagong pag-atake sa mga karakter at istorya ng kilalang direktor na si Mac Alejandre. Talaga namang kasisiyahan ang pelikulang ito ng mga kababayan nating naghihintay ng ating sariling pelikulang makabago at naaayon sa ating makateknolohiyang panahon. Hindi nga naman sila binigo ni Alejandre sa kanyang pelikulang pinagmamalaki ang magagandang special effects na maihahalintulad sa Hollywood.

Sa pinakabagong interpretasyon ng komiks na nagsimula at naging popular noong dekada 70, ginampanan ni Bong Revilla, Jr. na isa sa pinakamatagumpay na aktor sa kanyang henerasyon ang mapanghamong papel ng isang panday na unang naging alamat sa pagganap ni Fernando Poe, Jr. noong 1981. Umiikot kay Flavio ang kwento at sa kanyang mga pagliligtas ng kanyang minamahal na si Maria mula sa masamang kamay ni Lizardo, kasama ang iilang mga kakamping sina Emelita, Bugoy at Marcos. Habang ginagawa nila ang lahat para mabawi si Maria, madaming paghihirap ang darating sa grupo. Si Flavio naman ay nahaharap sa pagsubok kung saan nakatali siya sa kanyang responsibilidad na protektahan ang mundo at sa kagustuhan niyang mailigtas ang kanyang babaeng iniibig.

Tunay ngang nabigyan ng hustisya ni Revilla ang pinakabagong hamon na ito sa kanyang karera. Sa katunayan, pinarangalan siya para sa pelikulang ito bilang ‘Pinakamahusay na Aktor’. Sa kanyang pag-atake sa isang matagal nang popular na karakter, nakagawa ng sariling interpretasyon si Revilla sa kanyang mga maaaksyon na eksena. Nasa tamang timpla rin ang pagganap ng ibang karakter sa pelikula, at katunayan dito ang pagka-panalo rin ni Salvador sa kanyang papel na Lizardo bilang ‘Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktor’. Maliban sa dalawang panalong ito, nagkamit rin ang pelikulang Ang Panday sa Metro Manila Film Festival Awards bilang Pinakamagandang Pelikula, kaya hindi magkakamali ang mga taong manunuod nito.

Makakaasa din ang mga manunuod na ito ay isang pelikulang sulit na sulit sa kanilang bayad at sa pagpila sa mga sinehan. Narooon ang mga special effects na tanging sa pelikulang ito lamang naging possible. Pinatunayan dito na ang mga sariling atin ay pwede nating maipagmalaki at ang gawang Pinoy ay maipapareha sa mga napapanuod natin sa mga dayuhan. Ang computer-generated imagery (CGI) nito ay nakakamangha dahil makikitang pinaghandaan at hinusayan at walang sinakripisyong detalye ng istorya. Kapana-panabik din ang mga magagandang disenyo ng set at nakakaaliw naman ang mga bagong anggulo ng kwento. Hindi man maiiwasang maikumpara sa pinakaunang bersyon ng komiks tampok si Fernando Poe, Jr., isang malaking bagay ang sigurado. Hindi ito ikahihiya natin at bagkus ay dapat tayong matuwa na ang mga ganitong klase ng pelikula na ginagawang tunay ang imahinasyon at inakala nating imposible ay kaya pala nating gawin.

(Coming soon in the Diliman Diary: More questions regarding the University of the Philippines Foundation and the U.P. Business Research Foundation)

2010 Official Philippine Holidays: Regular and Special Non-Working

                                                     (Artwork by Rodel Tagos)

For those planning their year in advance, here are the national regular holidays and special non-working holidays for 2010, as compiled by the Diliman Diary:

New Year’s Day — 1 January 2010

EDSA People Power (All SCHOOLS Only) — 22 February 2010 (Special holiday)

Maundy Thursday — 1 April 2010

Good Friday — 2 April 2010

Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataaan and Corregidor Day) — 9 April 2010 (Friday)

Labor Day — 1 May 2010 (Saturday)

Independence Day — 14 June 2010 (Monday nearest June 12)

Ninoy Aquino Day — 23 August 2010 (Monday nearest August 21)

National Heroes Day — 30 August 2010 (Last Monday of August)

Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan) — Movable date

All Saints Day — 1 November 2010 (Monday)

Additional Non-working day — 24 November 2010 (Friday)

Bonifacio Day — 29 November 2010 (Monday nearest November 30)

Christmas Day – 25 December 2010 (Saturday)

Rizal Day — 27 December 2010 (Monday nearest December 30)

Last Day of the Year — 31 December 2010 (Friday)

New Year’s Day — 1 January 2011

Not included here but with a very high probability of being declared as non-working holidays are:

Elections Day — 10 May 2010 (Monday)

Founding Anniversary of Iglesia ni Cristo — 27 July 2010 (Tuesday)

Special Working Days

Quezon City Day — 12 October 2010 (Tuesday)

This list shall be updated should special holidays be declared.

(Sources: Republic Act 9492; Proclamation 1841)

(Coming soon in the Diliman Diary: More questions regarding the University of the Philippines Foundation and the U.P. Business Research Foundation)

Maligayang Pasko sa Inyong Lahat at Masaganang Bagong Taon sa 2010!

(Source: http://www.youtube.com)

(Coming soon in the Diliman Diary: More questions regarding the University of the Philippines Foundation and the U.P. Business Research Foundation)